Cost of my new roof

Roofing/Construction Questions
#1

I am looking for an opinion on the cost of installing 37 square of Certainteed Grand Manor shingles with open copper valleys on a one floor ranch style home and attached garage in upstate NY.

The installation requires 130 feet of ridge, no hips, 55 feet of copper valleys, 18 feet of copper chimney flashing, and about 300 lineal feet of ice and water shield.

Two prior roofs need to be torn off the (tongue and groove) deck.

Job also includes 280 feet of gutter and downspout replacement with new seamless gutters.

The job requires removal of all debris from the premises.

Any rules of thumb or other basis for me to predict how much this should cost?

Many thanks in advance.

Bob near Rochester

#2

Even if I knew what the going rate was in your neck of the woods, I wouldn’t even remotely give a price that was nails; I’d give a + / - guesstimate that could be a swing $ 5,000.00 on the high side.

You’ve got a lot of issues with that description (not that your description isn’t good, but it is very involved).

If you were here in the Texas market (which is a lot less expense than what you have up there), the cost would probably be around $ 20,500.00.

& I’m just throwing darts… without photos that show specifics about your flashing issues & any wall to roof joints (primarily chimneys for a single story ranch), there’s just no way to figure this one out via teh intertubes.

#3

Hi,

Do you expect to see the defintion of the shingles you are installing?

If so you may be wasting money. The pitch of your roof may not be suited to the shingles you want.

Most roofing companys will not have someone to do the work you want done.

So looking for a price to judge this is very dangerous. The guy who can do this work is probably already busy. This is because he is good at what he does. So you will pay a premium for his time.

So by getting this price may eliminate the one guy sho can do the work.

#4

Call your local custom builders and ask them who does their roofing.

#5

RanchHand,

You are obviously an extremely knowledgable person. Of the 5 quotes I got, the highest was 23K, the lowest 19K, and the other 3 were just around 20K for the job. I signed the contract and wrote a check for the deposit this morning for one of the Certainteed recommended roofers who bid at 20.5K but agreed to do the job for 20K even.

Thank you for your excellent reply !!

#6

[quote=“LSH”]RanchHand,

You are obviously an extremely knowledgable person. [/quote]

quoted for truth

#7

[quote=“Agape”]

[quote=“LSH”]RanchHand,

You are obviously an extremely knowledgable person. [/quote]

quoted for truth[/quote]

Gotta agree with that notion!

At any rate you did the right thing by chosing the Certainteed recommended conctractor as more than likely they are a Sellect Shingle Company who can offer a 3,4, or even 5 Star Warranty.

Enjoy your new roof!

#8

Thank you for your help and for the good wishes. It’s a very big purchase.

#9

How come you didnt call me :wink: we have an office in fairport. However i agree you wont like those shingles on a ranch house

#10

First Why Copper , You’d Get jsut as much Life from 26 ga. Coated Steel - which Prices have come Down .

  1. a 25 yr. Shingle last 18-20 yrs.
  2. a 35 yr. Shingle last 25-30 yrs.
  3. a 50 yr. shingle will Last approx 35-42 yrs.
    Depending How it was Put On .

Dude It’s a Walkable Roof , so Right Off It’s Much Less to have Done , but You are doing a Tear -Off - those Cost More .

The 26 Ga. Steel will Last 45 yrs. Easily !

If You Really What to Put on a Lifetime Roof , because You will Retire and Stay there and , Or - You are Looking to get a Big Pop in Value , I’d
Install a Concrete Tile Roof !
I have a Class One Lic. and Roofers .
Concrete Tile - is a - 100 yr. Roof .
It does Cost More , but I can do It for Less !
How - By Pulling Material’s from Mexico !
With a Tractor Tailor !

In Fact - The Only Draw Back is Your Home , Your House Most Likely would have to Have Extra Support Installed in Attic etc.

880 - 1080 lbs a Sq. Depending On Tile .
Shingle Your talking about are Approx: 275 a Sq.

You Could Put On a Metal Roof , by Going Over , as They are Light and Save all the Way Around .

I Have to Wonder Why Roofers don’t go to Mexico in the Winter Time Off Season and Buy a Truck Load of Material’s - and Further more there are Places in Texas , that is all they are Doing !

You Could also Use Matching Metal on Chimney .
to Match the - Metal Roof etc.

A Metal Roof also will have a Higher Resale Value .

#11

This is 100% my own personal opinion, however anyone that would put any 2nd layer of roof on top of an existing system is a hack.

Now, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t specific circumstances where it makes sense, but from a financial standpoint I just don’t see it.

In this market (Texas), the cost for labor to do a tear off is around 20.00 - 25.00 per square. This means a 40 square roof is only costing 800.00 to 1,000.00.

PS: I’m no engineer*, however I’d think the attic is only one part of a home that needs to be strengthened to support a concrete (or stone tile) roof. The walls & other related systems will need the aded reinforcement.

*I didn’t even stay in a Holiday Inn last night.

#12

I went with a Certainteed Grand Manor roof for 2 reasons:

My wife and I liked the way it looks.

We are replacing a 25 year old Certainteed roof (Hallmark dimensional shingles) which I had installed on this same ranch house 25 years ago, and it lasted for a full 25 years in very extreme cold and warm temperatures here in upstate New York with no issues whatsoever. I would hope that another 25 years on this new Grand Manor will be equally trouble free.

Both the old roof and the new roof each weigh about the same, 425 lbs. per square. I like the extra thickness and weight of the best shingles, and will hopefully get equal lifetime from the new ones.

Regarding copper flashing, there are 2 reasons for chosing copper:

The first is that my wife and I like the way it looks. With a chocolate brown (Brownstone) colored roofing shingle, it makes a very nice looking valley and flashing compared to the silver colors of steel.

Secondly, the flashing has been the weak link in my prior roof, and in the last 3 years has required a couple tar coatings / repairs. They look crummy abnd make the rest of the roof look bad. The extra cost for copper was about $800 for the flashing material. I think it was well worth it.

Regarding concrete and metal roofs, I have no doubts that they can and do provide very long life expectancy. I just absolutely do NOT like the way they look. And I am especially opposed to spending all that extra money for something I don’t like the looks of.

That is my rationale. I’m sure others have very different opinions.

Thanks again for the assistance.

#13

Hey its your roof. Do it how you want it. I hope you like how it looks when its all done.

#14

Thanks. I hope it looks good. The house is a ranch but has a second floor full height attic and relatively steep slope. From the street the roof is very visible and the pitch should show the dimensional appearance of the shingle. The brownstone color does not attempt to imitate slate, and looks quite blended with our brownish brick ranch. All the other trim, soffits, gables, garage door, entry doors, gutters, etc. are all in the same brown color, so it should blend very nicely, as did the prior Certainteed roof.

I would have prefered some other shingle styles if it were only a matter of appearance, but the 425 lb. shingles are not offered in the other styles we considered. The Landmark and Independence shingles are both very nice, but are thinner and weight closer to 300 lbs per square. The Presedentials are offered in a triple layer heavy shingle, but they form a very odd diagonal pattern on all of the 6 homes we visited where Presidential was installed. Straight on view they look great, but they have an odd appearance when viewed from an oblique angle.

My wife and I are both retired so we spent 2 months driving around, looking at installations, and asking a lot of questions.

I am a retired engineer, so my questions were, as you might imagine, more technical. My contract is 4 pages long, one page the standard legal stuff, and 3 pages of specifications for the ice and water shield, underlayment, valleys, flashing, and a couple squares of Flintastic 3 ply used in the low slope areas.

I’ve told you a lot more about my job than you probably want to know.

But I am hoping it all goes as planned.

Once again, thanks to all.

#15

You picked an excellent roof, it will serve you well for a long time.

It will look outstanding also.

#16

Thanks again.

#17

make sure they use copper step flashing and copper nails too. other metals will react with the copper. Who did you choose for a roofer? (im just being nosey 8) )